The likelihood of the miners' survival of the Friday landslide are slim, a government spokesperson was quoted in the Xinhua report. Rescue efforts are ongoing, despite being hindered by additional minor landslides and altitude sickness. The mining site is located at 4,600 meters, which is 15,092 feet.

Cold temperatures falling to -3 degrees Celsius (26 degrees Fahrenheit) have hampered the sniffer dogs' sense of smell and their ability to trace the trapped miners, the news agency reported.

The incident occurred Friday, about 6 a.m. in Maizhokunggar County, east of Lhasa, the regional capital. The landslide extended three kilometers (almost two miles) and was made up of about 2 million cubic meters (2.6 million cubic yards) of mud, rock and other debris, according to Xinhua.

The victims, including two Tibetans, were workers from Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corp., the news agency said.